European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 3, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 10 the stars and stripes Friday april 3, 1992 san Vito base reports most thefts in Safe air Force regions Region population Crl iries per 1,000 pop. 17th air Force Central Europe 62,437 22 16th air Force Melter Nannean Region 24,537 68 3rd air Force United kingdom 42352 20 population figures include service members i family members and . Civilian employees. By Gary Miller Mediterranean Bureau a Small air station in Southeastern Italy has the dubious distinction of suffering the highest personal property theft rate in . Air forces in Europe. Since oct. 1, 1991, the Legal office at san Vito Dei Normanna air station has received 75 theft claims and paid victims More than $60,000, said maj. Anna Smith the bases staff judge advocate. A a in be never been stationed anywhere that has a theft rate that was even close to what we see Here a said capt. Bill Bicker commander of san Vito a Security police. San Vito near the Adriatic port of Brindisi is Home to about 1,855 service Mem cars . Civilians and family members. According to Safe spokesman Doug Moore the five Safe bases reporting the highest number of crime against property per thousand population during Calendar year 1991 were in order of highest to lowest san Vito in Ciurlik a Turkey Izmir air station Turkey Tempelhof Central Airport Berlin Germany and Raf Greenham common England. Across the command the Safe rate of reported crimes against property per 1,000 population is 27 per thousand Moore said. In Calendar year 1990, it was 34 per thousand. A Safe a population is 129,326 service members family members and . Civilian employees. At san Vito americans cars Are stolen at a rate of four to six a month Bicker said. A something is stolen from a car or a residence off base on an average of eight to 10 times a month Quot Bicker said. Some of the local thieves demonstrate How familiar they Are with american Standard products by taking not Only stereos tvs and video cassette recorders from Homes but the transformers necessary to run such 110-Volr equipment on Italy a 220-Volt electrical system. Villas Are burglarized most frequently because they Are generally situated in the most Remote locations Bicker said. Most Homes Are broken into during the Day when everyone is gone. A these thieves wont stand their ground a Bicker said. Quot if you come Home they will run. A amps a we be never had anyone robbed at  a depressed local Economy and High unemployment Are two factors that contribute significantly to the High theft rate for both americans living on the Economy and italians As Well Bicker said. Eight of the claims filed at san Vito Slegal office were from air Force members assigned to natos Allied forces Southern Europe Headquarters in Naples Italy. The roughly 400 airmen there fall under san Vito administratively Smith said. That a a Small part of the property crimes that the 10,000 americans in Naples a part of another services jurisdiction a experience each year. 1 1990, thieves had broken into 148 according to by the end of american Homes. That figure jumped to 166 for last year Naples naval support activity statistics. The rate of personal vehicle theft and vandalism in Naples also increased from 185 in 1990 to 203 in 1991. Navy bases Are not required to report crime statistics to higher echelons so various installations standings for property crimes Are not available according to Navy Security officials from Naples to Washington. Adm. Mike Boorda commander of . Naval forces in Europe and natos Allied forces Southern Europe recently established a Security committee consisting of representatives from Naples area commands. Informing americans through the local military Media about Steps they can take to reduce the risk of being robbed has been one of the groups most visible efforts to Date. For example Boorda has a geared on Southern european broadcasting network Public service announcements explaining the Steps service members can take to heighten Home Security. Base officials Are also investigating the possibility of using a program developed at naval air station Signet la Sicily that has apparently reduced the number of household break ins there significantly. New German Law requires stores to collect extra packing for recycling Frankfurt Germany apr German Consumers have gained the right to Saddle retailers with excess packaging. The second phase of Germany s new packaging Law which took effect wednesday requires stores to collect for recycling All non essential packaging such As containers for film and cosmetics. Environment minister Klaus Topfer got the new Law passed last year to Force producers and retailers to slash excess packing material. A extra packaging such As cardboard boxes and foils around Champagne bottles or cosmetics toothpaste tubes or cans of fish Are simply superfluous a Topfer told reporters in Bonn on wednesday As he urged Consumers to unpack products and return the excess material to stores. Topfer said such consumer action would eventually reduce garbage in Germany by 51,000 tons a year. The first stage of the new Law went into effect in december. It requires shipping companies to return transport crates to addresses of origin. Travel Erst advisory floods Force tourists to Wade through Venice from wire reports Venice Italy a tourists waded through knee High water in St. Marks Square on wednesday As unseasonal Strong winds sent the Adriatic sea Rushing into the venetian Lagoon. The High tide a or a Aqua Alta a As venetians Call it a left storekeepers pumping out ground floor shops and restaurant patrons sitting on tables to keep from getting their feet wet. I Piasentin a local flood technician Stefano said the City a entire historic Quarter was under water with Levels peaking at 4 feet in St. Marks Square Ditc tucs Fly / he said the flooding should continue for another few Days. Piasentin said that while there might have been some damage it appeared minimal As the flooding had been predicted. Quot by now people Are used to this around Here he said. Since its founding 1,100 years ago Venice has been plagued by floods water pollution and steady sinking. The Island City a amps dropped More than 9 inches in relation to sea level in this Century alone. National and local authorities have been studying flood control projects since a major inundation hit Venice in 1966. But Lack of funding and bureaucratic infighting and red tape have prevented definitive action from being taken. Northwest aids disabled St. Paul Minn. A Northwest airlines which was subject to negative publicity last year for making life difficult for prominent disabled passengers on its commuter links said tuesday that it will try to make flying easier for people with disabilities. Northwest said that by midyear it will provide disabled passengers with wheelchairs for in flight use new ticket and Gate counters with tables adjusted to wheelchair height wheelchair Battery packaging kits open captioned safety videos on aircraft and improved passenger boarding chairs. Other services will be phased in Over time. All new wide body aircraft will be made with disabled Access toilets and any new toilets installed on existing aircraft will also be accessible to the disabled. Airline to take off grand Bahama Island Bahamas sir Freddie Laker who jolted the airline Industry by offering bargain fares on trans Atlantic routes in the 1970s, is once again Back in business. He said wednesday that he received approval from the Bahamas government for his new charter airline Laker airways Bahamas Ltd. It will Fly two 727-200 jets each with 173 seats Between the Bahamas and numerous . Gateways. Spanish workers strike Santiago de Compostella Spain about 1 million workers stayed off the Job in the Northwestern Region of Galicia on thursday in a one Day general strike to protest the areas Industrial decline a Union official said. Seven unions called the walkout and 95 percent of the regions 1 million workers were estimated to have answered the Call said Luis Sanchez spokesman for the general workers Union,2 crewmen eject safely As Jet crashes in . From staff and wire reports Raf upper Heyford England an air Force Iet crashed in a parking lot at Finmere. About 6 Miles Northeast of Here at 3.10 . Thursday base officials said. The two Crew members in the ef-111a Raven ejected Safe and were picked up by an air Force ambulance and taken to the base Hospital officials said. The fliers who were not named were listed in satisfactory condition. The electronic warfare Jet went Down Between two buildings and burst into flames damaging about 15 parked cars but injuring no one on the ground thames Valley police sgt. Steve Huckin said. He said at least three people were treated for Shock. Additional details were not available pending an investigation an air Force spokeswoman said. Paul Bagni general manager of an agricultural factory near where the plane crashed s3id "1 was in the office when i heard the plane then a massive explosion. A Sheet of flame shot across the car Park Quot it was about 30 Yards away. I think that a the nearest ill come to going  Bagni said about 70 people were in the Plant at the time. The ef-111a, nicknamed the Raven is a conversion of the f-111a medium Range bomber. The Raven is equipped with radar hammers designed to support tactical strike forces. It carries no weapons. Ravens have been based at Raf upper Heyford since february 1984, and participated in the april 1986 attack on Libya. The aircraft belongs to the 42nd elec tronic combat so which is part of the 20th fighter Wing. Upper Heyford is located i Oxfordshire approximately 60 mile Northwest of London and 15 Miles Nort of Oxford. There about 5,400 militia and 580 . Civilians assigned Here. However the upper Heyford plane Are scheduled to be withdrawn to the United states and the base will become stand by base by 1994. A Board of officers has been appointed to investigate the crash